Fire in Worcester three-decker displaces seven people

A two-alarm fire last night at a Main South three-decker displaced seven people.

Firefighters responded to calls of a house on fire about 8 p.m. at 8 Florence St. They found heavy fire coming out of the first-floor windows, District Fire Chief Frank D. DiLiddo III said.

While crews were setting up, the fire started breaking through the windows on the second floor and traveling up an interior stairwell to the third floor, District Chief DiLiddo said.

He said crews made a very aggressive attack.

“We were able to keep it to the left side of the building,” he said. “There is heavy smoke damage to the right, but fire damage is confined to the left side.”

Jeanette Latorre, who lives on the first floor with her 14-year-old son, said she was taking a night class when she got word of the fire.

“I was at school and my sister-in-law called me to tell me the house was burning,” Ms. Latorre said. “So I just ran here to find the house burning. I did not exactly know what happened. I still don't know what happened.”

Ms. Latorre said her sister-in-law and her daughter live on the second floor and another sister-in-law and her son and daughter live on the third.

“My sister-in-law told me she was sitting watching TV like she always does in the living room and, all of a sudden, she heard the alarm go off. So she ran downstairs,” Ms. Latorre said. “My son said he tried to put it out with a fire extinguisher that we have on the first floor, but it ran out.”

Huddled around her family across the street from the smoldering building, Ms. Latorre thanked God that everybody got out of the house safely. “The house is a house. The things inside are replaceable,” Ms. Latorre said. “I'm just thankful that we're all OK.”

District Chief DiLiddo said it was too early to determine a cause or origin of the fire. There were no injuries.